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Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 6: Icarus

A bold new direction for Detective Comics as The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato take over the creative reins! Batman finds himself knee-deep in a new mystery involving a deadly new narcotic that has hit the streets of Gotham City. Can the Dark Knight stop the threat before the entire town finds itself embroiled in a deadly gang war that could b A bold new direction for Detective Comics as The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato take over the creative reins! Batman finds himself knee-deep in a new mystery involving a deadly new narcotic that has hit the streets of Gotham City. Can the Dark Knight stop the threat before the entire town finds itself embroiled in a deadly gang war that could burn everything--and everyone--down to the ground?
Collecting: Detective Comics 30-34, Annual 3

A bold new direction for Detective Comics as The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato take over the creative reins! Batman finds himself knee-deep in a new mystery involving a deadly new narcotic that has hit the streets of Gotham City. Can the Dark Knight stop the threat before the entire town finds itself embroiled in a deadly gang war that could b A bold new direction for Detective Comics as The Flash creative team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato take over the creative reins! Batman finds himself knee-deep in a new mystery involving a deadly new narcotic that has hit the streets of Gotham City. Can the Dark Knight stop the threat before the entire town finds itself embroiled in a deadly gang war that could burn everything--and everyone--down to the ground?
Collecting: Detective Comics 30-34, Annual 3

30 review for
Batman: Detective Comics, Volume 6: Icarus

4 out of 5

Anne–May 27, 2015

3.5 stars
Icarus is basically where we learn that Drugs are bad, M'kay...
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of the Batman fights Drug Dealers stories, so right away this one lost big points with me. And it's not because I think a crack pipe make you look more distinguished, or that giving $5 blowjobs behind a dumpster is classy.
It's just... Well, I was a child during the 80's, and I was literally saturated with cheesy anti-drug propaganda.
I'm full! Seriously.
No thank you, Nana. I don't want anot 3.5 stars
Icarus is basically where we learn that Drugs are bad, M'kay...
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of the Batman fights Drug Dealers stories, so right away this one lost big points with me. And it's not because I think a crack pipe make you look more distinguished, or that giving $5 blowjobs behind a dumpster is classy.
It's just... Well, I was a child during the 80's, and I was literally saturated with cheesy anti-drug propaganda.
I'm full! Seriously.
No thank you, Nana. I don't want another helping. Please, for the love of God, don't put any more on my plate, woman!
But for some reason, it seems like it's mandated that superheroes fight the evil drug lords every now and then. And who knows? Maybe Manapul is the sacrificial lamb who drew the short straw a few months ago?
*sigh*
Or perhaps he really thought this was a groundbreaking story...
But.
Unbelievably, once you scrape all of the cheese off of the top, this has a decent Batman story underneath it.
Icarus ain't what your granny used to get high, kids (so you can stop rummaging around in her medicine cabinet), 'cause this shit is da bomb!
Literally.
Like, your insides will catch on fire, and you'll explode.
A woman who wants to help change Gotham is found dead of an overdoes on Bruce Wayne's front steps. Naturally, he becomes a prime suspect in her death, and Harvey Bullock is determined to bring him down. Of course, he also wants a piece of Batman, and with Gordon behind bars, there's no one to reign in Bullock's distrust of the Dark Knight.
Believe it or not, the Harvey/Batman showdown was actually pretty good!
This is a Bullock-heavy volume, and you kind of get a better peek at the man who was constantly at Gordon's side for all of these years. Manapul does an excellent job with this character, and I enjoyed reading more about the different aspects of his personality.
Ok, now let's talk about the real star of the show.
The art.
It is honestly one of the best things about this volume. Beautiful!
The colors, the expressions, and even the page layouts were just fantastic. I can't say enough how much I visually loved the way this was put together.
There's an issue at the end called Chaos Theory that ties together random events from the volume, and puts everything in a new light. It was very well done and centers on Batman helping a young mentally challenged boy who is being abused & neglected by his father. Unbeknownst to Bruce, this ends up being a pivot point for the entire plot.
In the end, I'd say this is not required reading, but it turned out to be an impressively decent Batman story. I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for quite a while, and I'm leaning closer to 4 the more I think about it.
However, I'm just so biased against the anti-drug stuff that I don't think I can actually stomach giving a full 4 to anything with that as the underlying plot.
Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a digital copy to review.
Get this review and more at:

4 out of 5

Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede–Mar 27, 2015

A friend of Bruce Wayne dies after being injected with the drug Icarus and that means that his alter ego Batman goes on a revenge spree to catch the sons of bitches that is behind it before more people die.
The art is the best part in this book; I just wish the story had been as good. But I admit that I personally just don't find stories involved drugs and gangs that interesting and I found this book suffered because there wasn't any really interesting villain for Batman to face. I mean I sit her A friend of Bruce Wayne dies after being injected with the drug Icarus and that means that his alter ego Batman goes on a revenge spree to catch the sons of bitches that is behind it before more people die.
The art is the best part in this book; I just wish the story had been as good. But I admit that I personally just don't find stories involved drugs and gangs that interesting and I found this book suffered because there wasn't any really interesting villain for Batman to face. I mean I sit here a couple of days after I had read the book and I can't think of anything really memorable about it. No funny one-liners or anything to screenshot or any great battles with some enemy, well the octopus was a bit cool, but beside her was everything just meh!
I received this copy from DC Comics through Edelweiss in return for an honest review!

4 out of 5

Sam Quixote–Feb 05, 2016

Batman breaks up a child smuggling ring in the Gotham docks leading to Bruce Wayne deciding to renovate the Gotham waterfront in an effort to gentrify it and eliminate the criminals who’ve marked out the area for their own. Which of course doesn’t go down well with the gangsters - especially the ones who’re making a mint selling a potent new drug called Icarus.
I didn’t love this volume of Detective Comics but I was surprised that Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato’s first arc wasn’t that bad. Batman breaks up a child smuggling ring in the Gotham docks leading to Bruce Wayne deciding to renovate the Gotham waterfront in an effort to gentrify it and eliminate the criminals who’ve marked out the area for their own. Which of course doesn’t go down well with the gangsters - especially the ones who’re making a mint selling a potent new drug called Icarus.
I didn’t love this volume of Detective Comics but I was surprised that Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato’s first arc wasn’t that bad. Detective is traditionally the series where Batman gets to be the character he was right at the beginning: a sleuth who solves crimes by looking for clues and thinking. And, for the most part, that’s exactly what Manapul/Buccellato do. In fact, they go even further here and make this a story about two detectives: Batman and Harvey Bullock. (Where’s Gordon you ask? He’s in the slammer because Batman: Eternal - it’s not worth it, I promise.)
Bullock is the aspect of the book I liked the most. He’s a character who’s too often written off as some middle-aged fat cop who takes payoffs… well, at least he doesn’t take payoffs anymore! I like the guy anyway - he’s not incompetent or stupid and he more than proves himself as a detective worthy of his badge in this book. He even gets into an ill-advised fist-fight with the Dark Knight and then redeems himself by saving his life later!
While Harvey shines, I didn’t think much of Elena Aguila, aka Bruce Wayne’s Meaningful Friend For Plot Reasons #275 or her bratty daughter Annie whose story was a flatline the whole way through. And bikers got the better of Batman? Come on - bikers? Oh yeah, and Icarus, this new street drug - it sets you on fire? How the hell would that be popular with anyone?! “I wanna get high but what if I don’t self-immolate? Finally a drug for me!”
It’s good to see Batman being just the detective though unfortunately Manapul/Buccellato can’t help but go down the superhero route at the end. We see some nothing character get stupid superpowers so Batman can put on the Bat-Iron-Man suit and close out the book in some dumb overblown action scene. Come on guys, Sherlock Holmes never needed to pull that crap!
There’s a tacked on annual to round out the collection which contains the stupid origin of Julian Day aka Calendar Man (though the character himself is stupid so I guess it’s approps!) and Batman fighting more Icarus dealers. Meh. I suppose the Matches Malone cameo was cool.
I haven’t a whole lot to say about the art which isn’t bad but it’s your usual bombastic superhero fare. It’s refreshing to see a creative team who draw and colour the book also sharing co-writing duties too. Buccellato’s use of colour is interesting and Manapul’s Batman looks fine.
Icarus isn’t an amazing Batman book but it’s a perfectly decent Dark Knight detective story, especially if you like Bullock. And any comic with Batman fighting a giant squid is ok with me!

4 out of 5

Steve–Mar 28, 2015

I received this from Edelweiss and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.
The story was very routine, nothing really outstanding or new. Even the back and forth banter between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Harvey Bullock seemed forced. The entire storyline seemed forced.
The artwork is really what carried this volume, and is the reason it didn't get 2.5 stars. Looking forward to see what else Francis Manapul does with the Detective.

5 out of 5

Donovan–Apr 19, 2018

Francis Manapul’s Batman is predictable, impersonal, and downright boring. There’s no heart in the hero whose pain should drive him—he just pummels baddies. Alfred is merely his conscience and tech sidekick. And the plot involves bikers, drugs, and a brutalitizing, womanizing Harvey Bullock who’s in a pointless pissing match with Batman. The illustrations? Just okay, if overdone. This deserves a hard pass.

4 out of 5

Selkie ✦ Queen–Nov 10, 2014

It just came to my attention that Francis Manapul is a Filipino. I'm quite happy about that now, considering I had no idea the entire time I have reviewed his Icarus story arc earlier this afternoon. It was only after I looked at his Goodreads profile that I discovered it. I'm both pleased and embarrassed about this information. Pleased because this is the first time I ever encountered a Filipino writing and illustrating for an internationally recognized industry like DC comics. Embarrassed beca It just came to my attention that Francis Manapul is a Filipino. I'm quite happy about that now, considering I had no idea the entire time I have reviewed his Icarus story arc earlier this afternoon. It was only after I looked at his Goodreads profile that I discovered it. I'm both pleased and embarrassed about this information. Pleased because this is the first time I ever encountered a Filipino writing and illustrating for an internationally recognized industry like DC comics. Embarrassed because I should have known in the first place. Still, this is the best surprise I've ever received this year, and that's because I connected with this story so readily and not just because of one of the writers' nationality--I connected with it because it was genuinely goddamn beautiful. Knowing Manapul is a fellow Filipino is just a bonus treat.
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's debut collaboration is one of the best visual experiences I've ever had in New 52 for a Bat-title since Capullo-Miki-FCO brought me Batman: Zero Year, and I'm telling you that there is nothing more thrilling to peruse through than a comic book with such fluidity in the motion of its panels, and this issue has plenty of that to share. I ate up every gorgeous scenery as I read this! I was that hypnotized by the artwork.
For just one night, I was able to read and finish all five issues of Icarus, and my eyes have been seduced and pleasured sufficiently by Manapul and Buccellato because their complimentary visual style had a deftness and vibrancy to it that intimately captures the essence of what Batman has been in the pages of comic books since his conception; a lone shadowy figure lingering across skyscrapers in the dead of night, a creature in the darkness who fights crimes and punishes the cowardly lot who commit them.
A lot of this team's illustrations reminded me of his earlier roots so much, and even more so now because there is a more varied color palette available these days than decades ago when Batman first appeared. It's just a great experience to look at Batman in their depictions and remember with an assaulting clarity why I fell in love with this timeless caped crusader. There is nothing like being reminded about why your first love is your first love to begin with.
It's so easy to neglect sometimes that Batman originally debuted in Detective Comics and that this title is DC's flagship after all. We've been celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Dark Knight this year and I believe that means we should remember Batman's early days which are elegant in its simplicity. We live in a very technologically advanced world that a great amount of stories I read in Batman comic books these days now reflects what superhero movie franchises are about: gadgets, special effects, entertaining action and some humor in between, and more gadgets. John Layman incorporated lots of eye-candy gadgetry in his sixteen-issued run but this was luckily balanced by his superb storytelling which do emphasize Batman's sleuth skills as oppose to predecessor Tony Daniel's kick-the-shit-out-of-thugs characterization of Batman that was one of the reasons why his issues became an utter failure.
Manapul and Buccaletto's groundwork for their story is reminiscent of old-school Batman in the most flattering sense where we see the Dark Knight rely on his abilities and not merely on his gadgets and that foremost includes his mental acuity.
Manapul and Buccelatto's visual approach in telling this story is quite cinematic in such a way that they omitted narration boxes altogether and allowed Batman's actions in panels to show as oppose to tell the sequence at hand. It's marvelous! There was no need for speech bubbles for readers to understand Batman's process of thinking which is a welcome change for me because comic books after all are supposed to be primarily visual and it's been a while since I've gotten exactly that from a Batman story. I also enjoy the fact that we see him gathering evidence and connecting events using his own reasoning without always relying on machines to give him the answers which most Batman stories often do for a long time now just for the sake of moving things along. I'm happy these two did not take that route and truly put some great effort to make most of sequential storytelling which should be visual more or less. Hey, I love a great dialogue and narrative (Snyder's prose always gets to me) but for a title that emphasizes the 'detective' side of Batman, this is probably the best approach to tell all his cases from now on.
This is Gotham and the darkest hour is all upon us, and yet Manapul and Buccaletto, thankfully enough, are able to depict such an ugly world with their beautiful colors. The only downside, truthfully, is the last issue. It ended with a generic comic-book pay-off that's merely passable in a good day and disappointing at best. It totally defeats the purpose of its conception and development in the first place. But it did not truly diminish it. Icarus is still one of the best things I've read in a Bat-title, and you should still read it. I encourage you. I appeal to your sensibilities even. Who knows, maybe you'll be fine with the ending because that's what it was ultimately: It was FINE.
For a story that unfolded with a great command of its scenery, characters and exposition, it just went out with a whimper (or, in this case, with a series of literal explosions and misplaced action sequences that underhanded its more intimate and intellectual aspects). But that flaw should not undermine your enjoyment for Manapul and Buccaletto's volume. It was unique and daring; it packed a lot of punches. It also brought back a lot of the old-school Batman that we don't experience as often now in New 52, while also innovating the way comic books are illustrated as a sequential storytelling tool. Detective Comics Volume 6: Icarus will always have a special place in my shelf.
RECOMMENDED: 9/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:

5 out of 5

Chris–Jun 07, 2015

Some time ago I read Move Forward, the first volume of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's run on The Flash (pun intended). While the book was visually remarkable I thought the story and characters left a lot to be desired and I dropped the series. Fast forward a couple of years and i've just finished Icarus, the first volume of their Detective Comics run. Although it's an improvement, I can't shake the feeling that things haven't changed enough yet. They've moved away from style over substan Some time ago I read Move Forward, the first volume of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's run on The Flash (pun intended). While the book was visually remarkable I thought the story and characters left a lot to be desired and I dropped the series. Fast forward a couple of years and i've just finished Icarus, the first volume of their Detective Comics run. Although it's an improvement, I can't shake the feeling that things haven't changed enough yet. They've moved away from style over substance but i'd still like something more substantial to sink my teeth into.
The artwork is certainly as strong as ever, though. There are some dynamic layouts that really move the story along and even the standard pages look great thanks to the combination of Manapul's washed inks and Buccellato's strong colour palette. Together they create a real sense of atmosphere and the watercolours in particular add a real flourish to the book. I even had a double page spread from one issue as my desktop wallpaper for months, it was that good.
So is it the story that lets things down then? Not entirely, but it doesn't capitalise on the early promise it shows, either. Elena Aguila and her daughter Annette move to Gotham City to start a new life. Of course, things don't go according to plan and the pair are quickly caught up in a gang war over the latest drug to hit the streets (Icarus). A well-written and developed Harvey Bullock crosses paths with Batman and Bruce Wayne during his investigation, while the Caped Crusader also has some strong scenes with Alfred. It's only the final couple of issues that let the story down. The twists and revelations lack any real impact and the conclusion isn't particularly satisfying. While the main cast are written fairly well (a nice contrast to boring Barry Allen and co. back on Flash) I didn't connect with most of the supporting characters enough to care much about the outcome.
An Annual written solely by Buccellato rounds things out and he does a pretty good job with the story, but it's let down by some weak fill-in artists. I thought I might need to adjust my expectations after five issues of pure eye candy, but a later separate read confirmed that it looks substandard in general.
So what's the problem with Icarus? Is it just a poor volume? Not at all. But ultimately it isn't a particularly exciting one and frustratingly, the overall narrative and supporting characters are still falling short of the outstanding artwork. There's a definite improvement since their time on The Flash, but for me, Manapul and Buccellato aren't quite hitting the mark yet. I'll likely continue with the series, not least because i'm interested in seeing the character they teased, but I hope next time they deliver a story that allows me to stop holding back on the praise i'm giving them.

4 out of 5

Sud666–Jul 16, 2016

Icarus is a new drug that is hitting the streets of Gotham. Batman is trying to figure out where it is coming from. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne wants to help a do-gooder build a bunch of free rehab clinics along the harbor. The do-gooder has a drug addled daughter who is a X-games star and a rude, annoying teenager. The Do-Gooder gets murdered on Wayne's property and Detective Bullock suspects Bruce Wayne. Batman finds out who is supplying Icarus, as well as the do-gooder's connection to a time when s Icarus is a new drug that is hitting the streets of Gotham. Batman is trying to figure out where it is coming from. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne wants to help a do-gooder build a bunch of free rehab clinics along the harbor. The do-gooder has a drug addled daughter who is a X-games star and a rude, annoying teenager. The Do-Gooder gets murdered on Wayne's property and Detective Bullock suspects Bruce Wayne. Batman finds out who is supplying Icarus, as well as the do-gooder's connection to a time when she wasn't so good after all. The druggie daughter is dating a druggie biker gang prospect- well read the story and you'll figure it out.
This is a good detective story. I got a chance to see Batman look over crime scenes and use analysis to trace the crime. The conflict with Bullock was interesting, even as Batman, since I assumed Bullock was a Batman fan, but I guess not.
The artwork is gorgeous, at least for the first half of the story. The second part is just ok. But still after a lot of piss poor Batman stories I've read recently, this one was good. Not great, but good. I'll take that.

5 out of 5

Bader Al Shirawi–Feb 07, 2015

The story probably deserves a 3. But the art, holy shit Manapul!

5 out of 5

Gavin–May 09, 2015

The creative team behind the Flash gets a chance to take over the #2 Batman book of them all...and surprisingly? It's a vast improvement from Vol. 5, John Layman's turgid last effort.
I'm not worried about the drug dealer plot, because every so often you need realism, not crazy assassins and megalomaniacs, just a good old fashioned Biker Gang.
The events I guess take place during Jim Gordon's stay in Blackgate, so we get a solid dose of Harvey Bullock, who I love here, other than being a crAyzee C The creative team behind the Flash gets a chance to take over the #2 Batman book of them all...and surprisingly? It's a vast improvement from Vol. 5, John Layman's turgid last effort.
I'm not worried about the drug dealer plot, because every so often you need realism, not crazy assassins and megalomaniacs, just a good old fashioned Biker Gang.
The events I guess take place during Jim Gordon's stay in Blackgate, so we get a solid dose of Harvey Bullock, who I love here, other than being a crAyzee Cat man. He and Bats don't like each other much, but there's a begrudging respect, and Bullock already knows what Icarus can do after losing his partner years back.
The art is wow. Just tremendous. Elevates the book to just under 4 stars.
My favourite story is the new origin of the Calendar Man...turns out Julian Day was hired muscle for a gang, and treated his son like shit. But his son saw things, and was able to help Batman with info...Bats found out Day was physically abusing his young son...
This enraged Bruce, who is still dealing with the loss of his own son Damian, and when on top of it all, Day misses his son's birthday? Well shit son, you get a goddamn Bruce In disguise Beatdown. It warmed my heart to see the soft spot for kids, and saddens me how they still manage to show just how deeply his loss still affects him.
It's after the Beatdown that he tells Day to "buy a calendar" that we see how the Calendar Man will come to be...

5 out of 5

Ozan –Dec 03, 2018

DCU freashly out of New 52, just after Damian died in Batman Inc before Batman: Superheavy.
It was nice. Nice detective work, good bussiness man Bruce Wayne and Bullock and criminal underworld use. The art was fine. The metahuman who the criminal underworld gang used to produce the Icarus drug, what happened to him, idk... i mean Batman came in his mecha armor and punched him, and that was it.. Did he die ? or taken under custody or something... ? Other than this, it was fine. Even if the metahu DCU freashly out of New 52, just after Damian died in Batman Inc before Batman: Superheavy.
It was nice. Nice detective work, good bussiness man Bruce Wayne and Bullock and criminal underworld use. The art was fine. The metahuman who the criminal underworld gang used to produce the Icarus drug, what happened to him, idk... i mean Batman came in his mecha armor and punched him, and that was it.. Did he die ? or taken under custody or something... ? Other than this, it was fine. Even if the metahuman and the short bits of the two different armor Batman use, it felt street level enough. Nice work.
I would love to see Bullock's cats become a thing btw. I love cats.

5 out of 5

Patrick–Apr 25, 2015

I think the artwork, with exception to the final issue in this collection(the annual I believe) is the best part of this volume. While it's not a bad story, nor an un-interesting story. It's just an okay Batman story to me. Solid, but not overly memorable. I will say the friction, or dynamics between Bullock and Batman was good. The artwork is great and I really enjoyed that aspect of this collection.
I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley.com and the publisher.

5 out of 5

Colleen–Oct 18, 2015

Lovely art but the storytelling felt discombobulated, at one point I stopped to double-check I hadn't skipped or missed a volume. Overall, I'm not disappointed to have read it, but think it's the weakest of the Detective Comics series.
PS Drugs are bad, especially drugs named after ancient Greeks.

4 out of 5

Amanda–Jun 05, 2015

I wanted to give this 3 stars but the writing just kept getting worse. I didn't mind the art and I think the colorist did awesome work but the story itself just wasn't great.

4 out of 5

Nidah (SleepDreamWrite)–Jul 22, 2015

This was an interesting series. Has its moments and the art is good at times. Good Batman series Or at least, some I read so far. Good volume.

4 out of 5

Ben Truong–Oct 24, 2019

Detective Comics: Icarus picks up where the previous volume left off and collecting the next five issues (Detective Comics #30–34) of the 2011 on-going series with Detective Comic Annual #3 and mainly collects two stories: "Icarus" and "Icarus: Chaos Theory".
"Icarus" is a four-issue storyline (Detective Comics #30–33) with a conclusion (Detective Comics #34) and a tie-in story in Detective Comics Annual #3 and has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the Squid (Lawrence Loman), who is a drug lord, wh Detective Comics: Icarus picks up where the previous volume left off and collecting the next five issues (Detective Comics #30–34) of the 2011 on-going series with Detective Comic Annual #3 and mainly collects two stories: "Icarus" and "Icarus: Chaos Theory".
"Icarus" is a four-issue storyline (Detective Comics #30–33) with a conclusion (Detective Comics #34) and a tie-in story in Detective Comics Annual #3 and has Bruce Wayne as Batman taking on the Squid (Lawrence Loman), who is a drug lord, who is spreading the drug: Icarus through the streets of Chinatown.
Brian Buccellato penned the entire trade paperback with Francis Manapul co-writing the core issues of the story (Detective Comics #30–34). For the most part, it was written somewhat well. While I appreciate the central theme of the trade paperback – it was rather underwhelming. Batman takes on a drug ring and while the narrative is complex – it stars villains that are rather minor or recently created.
Francis Manapul (Detective Comics #30–34), Werther Dell’Edera, Jorge Fornés, and Scott Hepburn Jason Fabok (Detective Comics Annual #3) are the pencilers of the trade paperback. With the exception of the annual, there was basically one penciler. Since Manapal was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well and for the most part, I enjoyed his penciling style.
All in all, Detective Comics: Icarus is a somewhat good continuation to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.

5 out of 5

SarahKat–Apr 17, 2019

The art is amazing! AMAZING! AND there's a literal squid in this, plus Harvey Bullock's soft, cat-owning sides comes out a little. It is nice getting the Bullock-Batman dynamic a bit as we are so used to the Gordon-Batman one. I also like the overarching Batman-as-dad theme throughout. There's still a lot of grief from Damian, which is brought up throughout, but there are also just parts about parenting and kids and family. Batman's reaction to those things is more emotional because of what rece The art is amazing! AMAZING! AND there's a literal squid in this, plus Harvey Bullock's soft, cat-owning sides comes out a little. It is nice getting the Bullock-Batman dynamic a bit as we are so used to the Gordon-Batman one. I also like the overarching Batman-as-dad theme throughout. There's still a lot of grief from Damian, which is brought up throughout, but there are also just parts about parenting and kids and family. Batman's reaction to those things is more emotional because of what recently happened.
However, Batman fights drugs and gangs is tired and although the drug of choice is much more comic-booky than say, meth, it's still just Batman fights drugs and gangs.

4 out of 5

Megan Farve–Jun 17, 2018

Not a fan of the art in the flashback sequences.

5 out of 5

Chad–Aug 13, 2015

A solid beginning for Francis Manapul's Batman run. I have to say I'm going to miss him on Flash. His beautiful pencil and inks with Brian Buccellato's amazing colors blended together to make museum quality art. I liked what Francis was trying to do with this book. It just needed a little better pacing and a bit more connective tissue to make the story flow more smoothly. With some more time under his belt, I'm sure this will be another great run. Detective remains one of DC's shining stars of t A solid beginning for Francis Manapul's Batman run. I have to say I'm going to miss him on Flash. His beautiful pencil and inks with Brian Buccellato's amazing colors blended together to make museum quality art. I liked what Francis was trying to do with this book. It just needed a little better pacing and a bit more connective tissue to make the story flow more smoothly. With some more time under his belt, I'm sure this will be another great run. Detective remains one of DC's shining stars of the new 52.

4 out of 5

Jimmy Osterhout–Feb 17, 2016

This ... This just wasn't good. It starts with a lot of promise but at some point it gets so convoluted that you feel like you're just reading it to finish.
Your villains are drugs, gangs and a squid.
Your reason for reading is because you're invested in Batman.
After its finished you say, "Shit. That was bloody terrible. There's no meat here. Even the veggies sucked."
The artwork is the most redeeming quality of this set. I'm honestly afraid of opening up volume 7 at this rate.

5 out of 5

John Yelverton–May 17, 2015

Batman goes back to being a detective, which is great considering that the book series is called "Detective Comics". That being said, it was incredibly dark, and the amount of blood that Harvey Bullock lost bordered on the physically impossible.

5 out of 5

Chantay–Aug 12, 2015

Batman the pinnacle of morality and justness would like you to know that if you do drugs you will implode and turn to cinders. Like a candle in the wind... mmmkay.
Batman the pinnacle of morality and justness would like you to know that if you do drugs you will implode and turn to cinders. Like a candle in the wind... mmmkay.

4 out of 5

Mateusz Swietoslawski–Aug 27, 2017

Check out this and my other reviews!
Before we start, let's take a moment and appreciate a Batman comic book drawn with pastel colors!
Nowadays everybody knows Batman; the superhero equivalent of MacGyver who owns brooding on a gargoyle like it's nobody's business. People tend to forge that Batman id the world's greatest detective (DC itself stands for Detective Comics after all). It is refreshing to see that Batman: Detective Comics remembers about if from time to time.
This time around Batman doe Check out this and my other reviews!
Before we start, let's take a moment and appreciate a Batman comic book drawn with pastel colors!
Nowadays everybody knows Batman; the superhero equivalent of MacGyver who owns brooding on a gargoyle like it's nobody's business. People tend to forge that Batman id the world's greatest detective (DC itself stands for Detective Comics after all). It is refreshing to see that Batman: Detective Comics remembers about if from time to time.
This time around Batman does not face a colorful gallery of clownish rouges but instead he tackles the local drug dealers, human traffickers and biker gang. Obviously, in a true super hero fashion the drug makes people explode and the gangsters own a giant squid, but other than that it is the most grounded Batman was in a while. The setting itself made Batman seem more sympathetic and for a moment we can get an impression that he truly is a beacon of hope in dark and gloomy Gotham.
The plot is decent; Batman follows the thread of crime, meets gradually more interesting gangsters and suffers a personal lose. What is really interesting in this story is that this time he has to deal with Gotham PD led by Harvey Bullock who is more skeptical towards the Caped Crusader than his partner Commissioner Gordon. Bullock and Bats hate one another but they are forced to work together for the greater good. Seeing their relationship blossom is one of the true joys of this volume.
The other one is Buccellato's art. His style is dynamic and detailed making all the characters look beautiful and unique. I am so gad he had an opportunity to draw a Batman book without many masked characters; it would be a waste of his talents. The previously mentioned pastel colors add to the overall effect making it the prettiest Batman book I have read.
Did I mention that there is a bit where Batman fights giant squid?
VERDICT
Three out of five squids

5 out of 5

Robjr73–Dec 27, 2018

Really hope Goodreads allows for half star ratings at some point because this book probably deserves 3.5. I just can’t muster up a 4. Incredible art. Solid standalone story. Problem is that the story is somewhat forgettable. It won’t make it to your top 10 Batman stories or even your top 30. Batman takes on some drug dealers and an old villain that many may not have heard of called the Squid gets a reintroduction here. The art is the highlight though and for that alone it’s worth checking out.

5 out of 5

Zaz–Aug 09, 2019

The story was entertaining but overall average, lacking interesting bad guys. On another hand, the art was very pleasant to look at, it was better than in the previous volumes, with some very pretty pages (the double pages are a bit annoying on digital format, but at an artistic level, they are often a bold and interesting choice).

4 out of 5

Andrea–Mar 01, 2018

Good. I wish they had drawn out the story with Elena more before killing her, maybe have her and Bruce actually start to work on the waterfront. That would have given her death my impact. Otherwise, I good strong story.

5 out of 5

Ellen–Sep 07, 2018

More of a 3.5
This volume was good kept me reading till the end and had some great art work. However the story did not bring anything new to the table and wasn't overly interesting. This is a good comic for when you don't feel like thinking to much and just want a quick read to fill your time.

5 out of 5

John H–May 24, 2017

I like that Batman kind of goes back to his roots by doing more detectin' than he usually does these days, but I wasn't crazy about the art.

5 out of 5

Earl–Jul 27, 2017

Batman dealing with drugs is a really really good thing. But this seems... felt... off.

4 out of 5

Nicolas–Feb 19, 2018

The art carries this a long way. The story is fine, but never quite settles.

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